Plant-cap-applying device



W. R. SCHINDLER.

PLANT CAP APPLYING DEVICE.

APPLICATION HLED FEB.24. 1920.

1,357,523,l PmaNov. 2,1920. lag. 1` 1j?. z'

Us. *4 s\\\\\\\\\\\ Nunes!! 55.1.14:

l, r am :i sgg z i Z0 WALTER R. SCI-IINDLER, 0F LON G BEACH, CALIFORNIA.

LANT-CAP-APPLYING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented N ov. 2, 1920.

Application fled- February 24, 1920. Serial No. 360,662.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER R. SCHINDLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Plant-Cap-Applying Device, of which thel following is a specification.

My invention relates to a device for applying plant protecting caps and is more particularly directed to a device for inserting flanged plant caps into the ground and packv ing earth over the flange to retain the cap in ,l position.

l the final operation of The object of the invention is to provide a device by which a flanged plant cap is forced into the ground with its flanged portion below the surface and to provide means for packing earth over the ange to maintain the cap in position.

Another object is to provide a means Kfor packing earth upon the cap flange and automatically applying packing pressure thereto. Various other objects and advantages will be more fully apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this disclosure and which illustrate a preferred form of embodiment of the invention. i Of the drawings: Figure l is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is a vertical section, showing the cap applied over a plant, previous to being forced into the ground.

Fig. 3 is a partial vertical section, showing the cap forced into the ground.

Fig. 4 is a similar vertical section, showing upwardly and inwardly projecting arms 5 as extensions of a spider member 6 which is secured on the lower end of acenter rod 7 by having a screw threaded engagement therewith'and locked in place by a lock nut 8.

The rod 7 extends upwardly through a central bore in the collar 4 and has an elongated slot 9 in vwhich engages a transverse pin 10 secured to the collar 4. A coil spring 11 surrounds the rod 7 above and contacts with packing the earth over` the collar 4, the upper endy engaging a washer l2 which is prevented from upward movement on the rod, by a transverse pin 13.

The spring is normally under tension and maintains the parts in the position shown in Fig` 2 with the lower flanged or flared peripheral edge 14 of the outer casing l, extending below the lower edge of the inner casing 2.

A freely rotatable handvgrip 15 is positioned on the upper portion of the rod 7 between washers 16'16, maintained against displacement by transverse pins 17-17, and a handle 18 is secured to the top o f the rod.

The plant cap 20, which may be of any form which provides a circular flanged bottom edge 21, is positioned over the plant, and the device placed over it as shown in Fig. 2. A downward pressure applied to the handle 18 causes the inner casing v2 to move downward, its lower edge engaging the `cap flange 21 and forcing the cap into the round, as shown in Fig. 3.I During this straight downward movement of the inner casing the outer casing, by its contact with the ground, will I a rotation of one 4casing relative to the other.

With the cap in place, as shown in Fig. 3, the pressure on the handle 18 is gradually released and at the same time the entire device is given a -rotary movement. K causes the flared lower edge of the outer casing 1, to force overigtjhe submerged flange of the cap, the spring Il forcing the outer casing downwardly as said casing, by its rotary movement cuts into the earth. As the outer- This casing 1v packs the earth over the cap flange the downward pressure von' the handle 18 is released to. allow the inner casing'2y to be raised by the spring 11, to normal osition, K

completing' the o eration. (See i1g. 4) The purpose of t e grip 15 is to a ord a hand-hold for steadying the device during the rotary earth packing movements.l

From the above, it will be seen that I have provided a device for positioning and anchoring plant protecting caps in the ground,

which first is'functioned to engage the cap flange and force the cap edges below thesurface, and then is rotated, or oscillated, to

'force the adjacent earth over the cap flange and pack it rmly thereon to maintain the cap in place. Y

This device is eflcient and simple, both the cap inserting and earth packing functions being performed by the manipulation of a single handle.

I claimv l. Aplant cap applying device, combining an inner casing, an operating rod secured thereto, an outer casing slidable on said rod and having a ianged lower peripheral edge, and means yieldingly maintaining the outer casing in normal position on the rod.

2; A plant cap applying device, combining an inner caslng, an operating rod se-l cured thereto, an outer casing slidable on -said rod and providedwith a flared lower peripheral edge, and means yieldingly maintaining the outer casing in normal pov lsition on the rod.

3. A plant capapplying device, combinan operating rod secured thereto, an outer casing slidable on said rod and provided withV a iared lower peripheral edge, and means yieldingly maintaining the outer casing in normal position' on the rod with its lower edge below the lower edge of the inner casing. y

4. A plant cap applying' device, combining an inner caslng, an operating rod se cured thereto, a langed outer casing slidable on said rod, means yieldingly maintalning the outer casing in normal posltlon on the rod, and means for limiting the movement of the outer casing.

5. A plant cap applying device, combining an inner tubular casing, an operating rod secured thereto, an outer tubular casing slidable on the rod, means preventing relative rotation of the casings, andv means mal position, and a single operating handle secured to one casing.

Signed at Brawley California this 11 day of February 1920. WALTER R. 'SCHINDLER Witnesses: s

E. A. DE BLOIS, ROY V. MoKAr. 

